NameCensus.

UK surname

Halmshaw

In the 1881 census there were 199 people recorded with the Halmshaw surname, ranking it #12,880 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 226, ranked #18,044, down from #12,880 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Birstall, Halifax and Batley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North Lincolnshire, Kirklees and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Halmshaw is 310 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 13.6%.

1881 census count

199

Ranked #12,880

Modern count

226

2016, ranked #18,044

Peak year

1901

310 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Halmshaw had 199 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #12,880 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016, ranked #18,044.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 310 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living.

Halmshaw surname distribution map

The map shows where the Halmshaw surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Halmshaw surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Halmshaw over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 87 #18,695
1861 historical 156 #14,813
1881 historical 199 #12,880
1891 historical 260 #12,367
1901 historical 310 #11,393
1911 historical 302 #11,394
1997 modern 216 #16,802
1998 modern 207 #17,749
1999 modern 219 #17,203
2000 modern 212 #17,554
2001 modern 214 #17,211
2002 modern 214 #17,545
2003 modern 199 #18,195
2004 modern 221 #17,066
2005 modern 216 #17,283
2006 modern 209 #17,784
2007 modern 215 #17,633
2008 modern 218 #17,638
2009 modern 226 #17,587
2010 modern 222 #18,148
2011 modern 227 #17,733
2012 modern 226 #17,679
2013 modern 231 #17,703
2014 modern 233 #17,707
2015 modern 231 #17,733
2016 modern 226 #18,044

Geography

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Where Halmshaws are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Birstall, Halifax, Batley and Dewsbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North Lincolnshire, Kirklees and Bradford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Birstall Yorkshire, West Riding
2 Halifax Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Batley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Dewsbury Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North Lincolnshire 004 North Lincolnshire
2 Kirklees 018 Kirklees
3 Bradford 061 Bradford
4 Kirklees 028 Kirklees
5 Kirklees 020 Kirklees

Forenames

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First names often paired with Halmshaw

These lists show first names that appear often with the Halmshaw surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Halmshaw

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Halmshaw, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living

Nationally, the Halmshaw surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Inner Suburbs and Small Town Living, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Halmshaw household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

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Group profile

Families with resident dependent children (but not students) are common. Established family groups and White ethnicity predominate, as do individuals born in the UK. They are more likely than the Supergroup average to have been resident in their terraced, semi-detached, or detached houses for more than one year. Levels of multiple car ownership are high. Properties are owned and typically have surplus living space. Associate professionals and administrative occupations are prevalent, and parents are likely to be in middle age or approaching retirement. Educational attainment is above the Supergroup average. Scattered developments and concentrations are found in many small towns.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Halmshaw is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

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Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Halmshaw is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Halmshaw falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Halmshaw is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Halmshaw, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

1881 census detail

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Halmshaw families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Halmshaw surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 167 Halmshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.68x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 167 8.68x
Lancashire 9 0.39x
Durham 6 1.04x
Cheshire 4 0.93x
Worcestershire 4 1.58x
Flintshire 3 5.75x
Westmorland 3 7.03x
Warwickshire 2 0.41x
Derbyshire 1 0.33x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liversedge in Yorkshire leads with 57 Halmshaws recorded in 1881 and an index of 665.89x.

Place Total Index
Liversedge 57 665.89x
Heckmondwike 20 323.10x
Halifax 19 67.28x
Dewsbury 11 55.75x
Cleckheaton 8 112.84x
Crook Billy Row 6 81.19x
North Bierley 6 57.80x
Soothill 6 86.33x
Wardleworth 5 37.99x
Balby Cum Hexthorpe 4 173.91x
Darfield 4 228.57x
Ecclesfield 4 28.37x
Hartshead 4 465.12x
Kings Norton 4 17.60x
Sale 4 76.05x
South Elmshall 4 1142.86x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 3 42.98x
Headingley Cum Burley 3 24.23x
Morland 3 1200.00x
Pendleton In Salford 3 10.93x
Rhuddlan 3 65.36x
Aston 2 1.48x
Chapel Allerton 2 69.44x
Skircoat 2 26.39x
Thurnscoe 2 1176.47x
Castleford 1 14.29x
Derby St Werburgh 1 5.70x
Hemsworth 1 90.91x
Horton In Bradford 1 3.33x
Leeds 1 0.92x
Mexborough 1 26.18x
Poulton Barre 1 38.17x
Scarborough 1 5.72x
South Kirkby 1 238.10x
Stainforth In Thorne 1 204.08x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Halmshaw surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 15
Elizabeth 11
Ada 6
Annie 6
Emma 6
Eliza 5
Martha 5
Sarah 5
Alice 3
Ann 3
Hannah 3
Allice 2
Caroline 2
Jane 2
Lucy 2
Lydia 2
Rebecca 2
Annice 1
Betty 1
Catherine 1
Cecilia 1
Clara 1
Elizth. 1
Ellen 1
Emily 1
Florence 1
Frances 1
Harriet 1
Julia 1
Louisa 1
Mabel 1
Margaret 1
Matilda 1
Rosannah 1
Rose 1
Susannah 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Halmshaw surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 13
George 7
Arthur 5
Frank 5
Joseph 5
Thomas 5
Charles 4
Alfred 3
Edward 3
Harry 3
Henry 3
James 3
William 3
Allen 2
Chas. 2
Robert 2
Sam 2
Tom 2
Walter 2
Abraham 1
Andrew 1
Burnley 1
Calif 1
Casper 1
Concort 1
Consort 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Fredk. 1
Geo. 1
Herbert 1
Hy. 1
Isaac 1
J.Hy. 1
Jesse 1
Jno. 1
Joe 1
Lewis 1
Ralph 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Sparling 1
Will 1
Willie 1

FAQ

Halmshaw surname: questions and answers

How common was the Halmshaw surname in 1881?

In 1881, 199 people were recorded with the Halmshaw surname. That placed it at #12,880 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Halmshaw surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 226 in 2016. That gives Halmshaw a modern rank of #18,044.

What does the Halmshaw map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Halmshaw bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.